Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank the witnesses for being here this morning.
I counted, and I have 10 questions. I probably won't be able to ask them all, but I'll try to proceed very quickly.
Before asking my questions, I'll make a quick comment on the nuclear weapons treaty currently being negotiated. I think it's a bit early to decide what the treaty will contain when the negotiations haven't finished yet. In the case of landmines, we knew that key players wouldn't participate in the treaty, and yet we dealt with the matter. A number of experts think it could actually be effective. I would have liked Canada to follow the lead of the Netherlands and at least agree to attend the negotiations, if only to have an insider's view.
That said, I won't launch a big debate on the issue here. However, I'd like to know whether the American authorities have explicitly asked Canada not to participate in or attend these negotiations.